Investigation on Hydrogen Storage Capacity of Spherical Activated Carbons from Ion Exchange Resins

Abstract In this study, the role of spherical activated carbon from ion exchange resin as an adsorption material for hydrogen storage was researched. Spherical activated carbon samples were prepared from two types of physical activation methods using steam and CO2. The porosity induced by each method and the resulting hydrogen adsorption performance were compared and evaluated. When the samples had similar BET surface areas, steam activation induced microporous spherical activated carbon to increase hydrogen storage performance at low pressure (~1 bar) under low temperature conditions (under 77 K). CO2 activation was able to well formation of the 1-2 nm sized pore ratio in the micropores, thus enhancing hydrogen storage performance at high pressure (~200 bar) under ambient temperature (under 298 K). In conclusion, this indicated that there exists a range of spherical activated carbon pore size favorable for hydrogen adsorption, dependent on the pressure range applied.